Legend of the Blue Spirit
by Maggax
Summary: Everyone knows the Blue Spirit, but who is the Blue Spirit? A water bender? An earth bender? Maybe not a bender at all? His legacy has been passed down through the generations.  Six people have worn the Blue Spirit Mask, but only one did the right thing.
1. Koa

Koa was born in the Southern Water Tribe and moved to Ba Sing Se when he was 23. He had a son named Maka and a wife named Kurra. Kurra died by a mysterious ailment when Maka was only 3. Maka was 4 when he and his father left to Ba Sing Se. There, he met another woman named Ming, who he would go on to marry and have another child named Tilo. Koa opened up a mask shop named "Koa's Masks" and has a very successful business. He now has enough money to buy a very large home. Koa is now 31, Maka is 16, Ming is 30, and Tilo is 8. This is the story of how the "Blue Spirit" began.

"Maka! Maka!" Koa shouted from the back room.

"Yeah, dad?" Maka answered, walking into the back.

"First of all, it's your turn to start working on masks. Second of all, how long will it be until that spirit mask is ready for painting?" Koa asked, standing up and washing his hands from the yellow paint he was using.

"Should be done soon, dad. Just need to carve out the eye-holes," Maka shrugged.

Koa walked back into the main room. He rubbed his eyes and sat down behind the desk. He heard the ringing of the bells he tied to the door. _A costumer!_ he thought, jumping up.

"Welcome to Koa's Masks! How may I help you?" Koa greeted.

The man who came in was out of breath. He held scroll in his hand. He gasped for air and gave the scroll to Koa. He walked out the door and nearly collapsed. Koa opened the scroll.

"Maka! Come here! According to this letter, they know who the next Avatar is!" Koa exclaimed.

Maka came in a hurry.

"Well, don't keep it a secret! Who is it?" Maka asked.

Koa opened the scroll.

"After extensive investigations, yadda yadda yadda, the Water Sages have announced on the eighth day of the summer that the next Avatar is…" Koa read.

"Who? Who is it?" Maka asked nervously.

"Avatar Kuruk of the Southern Water Tribe," Koa smiled as he finished reading.

"Kuruk? My best friend, Kuruk?" Maka asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! That's amazing!" Koa laughed as he set the scroll on the table.

"Wait till mom hears about this!" Maka smiled.

"Alright, you got the news, now a successful business doesn't run itself. Go out to the store and buy some red paint. We're completely out," Koa ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Maka smiled, saluting.

He started for the door.

"Oh! And just so you know, my spirit mask is finished. You'd be surprised how fast you can carve out eye-holes," Maka smiled.

"Alright, I'll start painting it when I have the chance," Koa called after him.

After Maka left, Koa did his usual, look-around of the masks. They all _seemed_ fine. He made sure each and every one were in peak condition. The Fair was coming, and he had bought a place in the main square for "Koa's Masks" booth! He always did this, even though the main square spaces were very expensive, he usually covered the price and more with his profits from the Fair. The bell rung again. He looked over to see four men about 16-20 years old. He quickly walked behind the desk and greeted them.

"Is there a particular mask you're looking for?" Koa asked.

"We ain't here for masks," the one who seemed to be the leader smiled, pulling out dual blades.

His three friends also pulled out dual blades. Koa backed up.

"Now, now, you don't have to do this. Just turn around and walk out that door," Koa spoke.

At this point, I should explain Koa was a pacifist and only used violence if someone were trying to kill him at that very moment. He was also proficient with dual blades and was a master of Kung-Fu. He learned Kung-Fu from his father when he was 10. By age 14, he had completely mastered it. Then, when he came to Ba Sing Se, he took up Dual Blading, just in case he had to fight a bender. He noted that the one on the leader's left was an Earth-Bender.

"Just hand over all the money you got in the store, and we won't hurt you," the leader grinned at him.

Koa reached under his desk and pulled up a bag of silver and copper pieces. It was about as big as a volleyball. He set it on the counter. The door behind them opened and Maka walked in with a bucket of red paint. He dropped the bucket and got into his Water-Bending pose. The one that could Earth-Bend just stomped his foot and a large rock came from the floor, launching Maka upwards. Maka's head hit the roof. He fell to the ground, not moving.

"Dang it!" the leader snarled, snatching up the bag and running out the door.

The other three ran after him.

"Maka!" Koa shouted, kneeling down to his son's body.

He felt tears well up in his eyes. He felt his heartbeat, nothing. He stood up and looked down at his son's dead body. That's when he changed. He wasn't a pacifist anymore. He had seen many crimes go on, and he helped to resolve them, usually without violence. But then, a man's mask shop is robbed and no one raised a hand to help them? He looked down at the red paint Maka brought in. He picked up Maka's body and set him on the bed in the back. Ming would be here soon. She would see him and make sure he got a proper burial. Koa wrote a note. He wrote it fast. He was leaving. Leaving Ba Sing Se to better the world. He grabbed the red paint Maka had brought in. He picked up Maka's spirit mask. He started painting. A white hear, a red there. Soon, the mask was finished. At night, he snuck into "Tang's Silk-Wear" and stole a black cloak with a hood. He fit the cloak on with a matching black pair of gloves and boots. He picked up the Dual-Sword underneath his desk, and put it on. He fir the mask on and threw the hood on over it. He was now, the Red Spirit. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop with amazing acrobatics. He had been learning how to jump far since he was a child. He jumped and looked at the late-night walkers. He saw him. The one who had killed Maka. He jumped so that he was on the rooftop next to him. The man walked into an alleyway. The Red Spirit dropped down and swiftly kicked the man back. The Red Spirit drew his Dual-Blades.

"Who are you?" the man shouted at him.

The Red Spirit just tripped him, knocked his Dual-Swords away, and put his Dual-Blades at the man's neck.

"Don't try any of the Earth-Bending or these blades are going straight into your neck," the Spirit threatened.

"I'll give you all the money I have, just don-"

"I don't want your money. I want to know where _my_ money is. The money you stole from me."

"I dunno, I swear!"

The Spirit's blades inched closer to his neck.

"Okay! It's in the warehouse, the one next to the fountain square," the man whined.

"Alright, but if you're lying, I'll kill your family," the Spirit threatened again.

"No! If I'm lying just kill me instead!" the man begged, "Leave my family out of this!"

"I don't want to kill you twice though."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I don't think you get the big picture, do you?"

"What?"

"You're already going to die. Whether or not your family lives depends on if you're lying."

"Why? Why are you going to kill me?"

"For Maka."

The Red Spirit uncrossed his blades through his neck. He jumped atop the house next to him and he looked for the fountain square. He saw it. He jumped over and looked around. He saw the warehouse. He jumped over to it and crawled in the top floor window. He heard voices from downstairs. He put his ear to the floor. They were here. All three of them. He walked down the stairs silently. The three of them had three big bags of money in them. One had gold in it. Another had copper. The last one had silver and copper. These guys had been stealing from people for a while. He drew his Dual-Blades. One of them spotted him.

"Hey! Who're you?" that one shouted.

The others turned around.

"Li-To, you know this guy?" the other one asked.

"No, Kogu, I don't," the leader answered.

Kogu and the other one approached the spirit, swords drawn. Kogu swiped first. The spirit ducked as Kogu's blades swung over his head and into Li-To's other man. The spirit drove both swords into them, killing them. He threw them to the floor and he stood up.

"You're pretty good," Li-to remarked, drawing his Dual-Blades.

"Thank you. I've been practicing for scum like you," the spirit replied.

"So what are you, a vigilante?" Li-To smiled, as he and the spirit started to circle each other.

"No, I'm a criminal, just like you, and I want those big bags of money on the table over there," the spirit explained.

"So, what can I call ya?" Li-To asked.

"The Red Spirit," the spirit claimed, throwing a double slice at Li-To.

Li-To blocked the attack and threw one blade under and the other over. The spirit blocked both and threw a lunge at him. Li-To took a step back and swung with all his might into the blades, making them fly from the Spirit's hands. Li-To threw a fury of swipes at the Spirit. He just dodged them all and kicked at Li-To's side. Li-To grunted and dropped one of his blades. The spirit moved in dodging Li-To's first swipe and hitting him in the stomach with a few quick jabs. He jumped back, but not fast enough. Li-To got his arm, making blood drip from it. The spirit grabbed his arm.

"Now, what are ya gonna do?" Li-To laughed.

The spirit shook his head.

"This," the spirit said, suddenly pulling out a bucket of red paint and throwing its contents onto Li-To.

"Gaah! My eyes!" Li-To screamed.

The spirit picked up Li-To's dropped sword and stabbed him straight through the stomach. Li-To dropped dead. The spirit grabbed the bags of money and returned them to their rightful owners. Each one with a note that said, "From the Red Spirit". The next day, the street was absolutely buzzing about the Red Spirit. Everyone had heard the story of how the money was stolen from three businesses, and the next day, they were returned. A lot of people were actually celebrating. And by that, I mean everyone who _wasn't_ a criminal. Everyone except a mother and her child, who were grieving the death of a family member, and the mysterious disappearance, of their father and husband.


	2. Buri

Buri liked his life the way it was. He lived in Omashu. It was nice. He had a twin brother named Bumi (no relation to the future King Bumi) and a sister named Umi. He lost his dad in a mining accident when he was 8. He was 18 now. He had graduated from school, and was a black belt at Koa's Martial Arts and Dual-Blading Training. He was helping Master Koa clean up after the last practice.

"Well, you've certainly helped a lot around here. Not only are you a great student, you're also a great helper," Koa smiled at the young boy.

"Not that you really need help. You're very strong for your age," Buri replied.

"What? Strong for my age? What is _that_ supposed to mean? I'm only 72!" Koa complained.

Buri just looked at him.

"Okay, I'm old. But, you shouldn't be worrying about that. You should be worrying about that Chin the Great or whatever. If you ask me, he's getting _way_ too much power over there. He's probably going to invade the continent. And when he does, I hope that new Avatar What's-her-name will be there to stop him," Koa spoke.

"Eh, you won't have to worry about that, though. You're moving to the Fire Nation, right?" Buri treid to confirm.

"In two weeks, yes. You'll be the only student of mine to become a black belt so far," Koa smiled.

"Oh, I try my best," Buri smiled back.

Buri looked out the window.

"Oh, no! I have to be home by sundown! See ya later, Master!" Buri called, quickly running out the door.

Koa smiled after him.

Buri ran as fast as he could. He looked to his left. He saw a way that could be a shortcut. He ran down the alleyway and took a right. He ran into a big guy. He fell to the ground.

"Oh, sorry, sir!" Buri said, standing up and dusting himself off.

He ran around him and noticed that up ahead were five people in identical robes. Red with a blue insignia of an eye in a diamond on the backs. Each one had their hoods stopped before he accidentally ran into them. They looked at him.

"Um, can I get by?" Buri asked.

The biggest one pushed him back.

"No, you can't. You ain't goin' anywhere," he big one snickered.

He threw off his hood. Buri was shocked that he had some sort of tattoo on his forehead. It was a "third eye" of some sort.

"The name's Gyzu. I'm the leader of the Watchful Eyes," Gyzu explained.

"Wait, they aren't real, though," Buri stepped back.

"Want to bet?"

"Uh, no…"

Gyzu kicked him back. Buri landed on his back.

"I think I'll deal with you myself," Gyzu snickered.

Buri stood up and shook his head. Gyzu took a deep breath. Buri jumped out of the way as Gyzu grunted and some sort of beam shot out of his "third eye". It sparked twice before hitting the far wall and exploding.

"You're pretty fast, kid," Gyzu remarked, taking another deep breath.

He grunted and another beam shot out and almost hit Buri. The explosion surely gave him burn marks.

Gyzu stared down at him.

"It's almost a shame how fast I have to kill you," Gyzu grinned.

"Why do you even want to kill me?" Buri gritted.

"I know that you're a student of Koa's right? You've learned how to fight. The Watchful Eyes are rulers of this town, don't let those idiots at the castle fool you. Seeing as you've learned how to fight, you're just one more person who can stand up to us when we make our move to control the city. So, why not kill you now?" he explained.

Gyzu took a deep breath.

"Leave the kid alone," a voice spoke from the end of the alleyway.

Everyone turned to see a man In a black cloak with a red mask on wielding Dual-Swords. The Red Spirit.

"Well, well, if it isn't the old man. How old are you, anyway? Because you've been working this job for quite a while, considering what you did in Ba Sing Se was the first thing you did as a vigilante," Gyzu smirked.

"I'm not a vigilante. I'm a spirit. The spirit of blood. Besides, didn't I already teach you guys this lesson?" the Red Spirit replied, looking over at one of the smaller robed Watchful Eyes.

The man threw off his hood. He had a bandage over where his tattoo of a "third eye" should've been. He tore the bandage off. There was a terrible scar on his forehead.

"Yeah, and now I'm ready to shoot you again!" the man shouted, taking in a deep breath.

The Red Spirit ran forward and grabbed Buri. He threw Buri behind a barrel as the man grunted. His eye sparked two times, and then blew his own head up. The other Watchful Eyes climbed up the side of the building to their left with startling agility. After the explosion had settled, the four Watchful Eyes dropped from the building. The Red Spirit was still standing where he was. He looked over to Buri and tossed him one of his Dual-Blades. Buri caught it and stood next to the Red Spirit.

"Can you fight?" the Red Spirit asked.

"Yeah," Buri replied.

"Thought so," the Red Spirit spoke.

Gyzo smiled at them. He snapped his fingers. One of his men climbed up the building to their left and jumped off behind the duo. Another of his men did the same, but on the right side. The Red Spirit turned around.

"Alright, kid, you take those two, I'll take the ones behind us," the Red Spirit explained.

Buri didn't complain. Gyzo's right-hand man threw off his hood, revealing his tattoo.

"Because I'm being nice, I'll send ol' Hakinda after you first," Gyzo smiled.

Hakinda took a deep breath and fired a beam at him. Buri dodged out of the way as the beam exploded where he was standing. Hakinda jumped to the building on the right side of them, and climbed to the top. He breathed deeply and fired. Buri dodged it. Hakinda fired again, Buri dodged it again. _I have to somehow damage his third eye. That's how the other one died,_ Buri thought. Buri saw a rock. He threw it at Hakinda. Hakinda blew it up in mid-air. The rock blew into tiny pieces. One of these pieces flew into the eye of one of the men the Red Spirit was fighting just as he grunted.

"Nice one!" the Red Spirit called to him.

Hakinda fired again, when Buri wasn't paying attention. Buri saw it at the last moment and his instincts told him to block it. He raised his blade. The beam hit the flat side of the sword and the reflective surface bounced it back to Hakinda. Hakinda didn't even get a chance to scream. Buri looked over to see the Red Spirit finish off the last one. Buri looked over to Gyzo running out of the alley.

"He's getting away!" Buri shouted.

The Red Spirit grabbed his shoulder.

"Let him go. He won't be much of a problem anymore," the Red Spirit said.

Buri turned to him.

"Here's your sword back," Buri said, handing the spirit his sword.

The Red Spirit pushed it away.

"No, here's _your_ sword back," he countered, handing him the other sword.

"What? These are your swords though," Buri said.

The Red Spirit took off his mask to reveal the old face of Koa.

"No, they aren't. Buri, I'm leaving to the Fire Nation to _retire_. I need someone even better than I to continue the Red Spirit's Legacy. When you helped me defeat the Watchful Eyes, you were amazing! Much better than I ever was. So, I'm handing down my weapons, my robe and my mask to continue on as the Red Spirit," Koa explained, handing him the red mask.

"What? No! I don't want the life of the Red Spirit! I just want to live a normal life!" Buri whined.

"That's what _I_ wanted to do before they killed my son, Maka. I realized this world needs someone to clean up the streets of the Earth Kingdom, and you are the one to do it. If you decline this offer, someday a thug that _you_ could've stopped will come and rob or kill someone you love. And you'll blame yourself because you'll know it _was_ your fault for not stopping him earlier," Koa explained further.

Buri thought for a long time. He finally grabbed the mask.

"Fine, but I don't want to be the 'Spirit of Blood' or whatever. I want to be a spirit that does things a bit differently," Buri said.

Together, they walked back to "Koa's Martial Arts and Dual-Blading Training", where Buri whipped out the blue paint and started to paint over the red on the mask. He put the mask on.

"How do I look?" Buri asked.

"You look terrifying," Koa replied sarcastically.

Koa took off his cloak.

"You'll be needing this," Koa said, handing him the cloak.

Buri took it and put it on. He picked up his Dual-Blades.

Buri looked at Koa and said, "I am not the Red Spirit, the Spirit of Blood. I am the Spirit of Justice, the _Blue_ Spirit!"


	3. Kai

Kai looked up at the wall of Chin's Castle. I he was caught, his entire family would be punished by Chin the Conqueror. Kai was an Earth-Bender born in a small Earth Village. He was born unable to talk, so it was difficult for him to make friends. He was only 14 and he wished he could escape Chin's rule and go to the Fire Nation. Who knows? Maybe he could go to one of the Water Tribes if that didn't work. But, he couldn't. He walked around the woods surrounding Chin's Castle regularly. It reminded him of his parents, who both died trying to defend their village from Chin when he was 10. He didn't have a place to stay, and most people in the Village didn't even know his name. Everyone who did was either imprisoned or dead. No one knew he existed. Sure, they saw him around the village from time to time, but not frequently enough to remember who he was. Kai just shook his head angrily. He kicked the tree next to him. To his surprise, the tree was hollow. He looked in the tree to see a small box. He opened the box to see a note with a mask underneath it. He read the note.

The note said:

Dear Whoever is reading this,

You have found the Blue Spirit's Mask. It is your job to use this mask to stop crime around the Earth Kingdom. Though, it will be tough, I know you can do it. I know you've heard of the Blue Spirit, so don't try to just walk away. It's your duty to continue on the Blue Spirit's Legacy. In this tree trunk, you will find all the equipment you will need to become the Blue Spirit. This includes:

Blue Spirit Mask  
>Dual-Swords<br>Black Clothing

If you think you're going to just walk away from this, you're wrong. If you decline this offer, someday a thug that _you_ could've stopped will come and rob or kill someone you love. And you'll blame yourself because you'll know it _was_ your fault for not stopping him earlier. Make the right choice.

-The Former Blue Spirit

Kai looked at it strangely. It was amazing. He had never been given a responsibility before. And now he had a huge one. He put the black clothing on. He equipped the Dual-Blades, even though he had no idea how to use them. And finally, he put on the Blue Spirit Mask. He looked up at Chin's castle. _Chin, here I come,_ he thought. He used Earth-Bending to stick to the wall and climbed up it. Once he was at the top, he looked over the edge. Two guards. Both were facing away from him and were walking to the guard towers on the two corners of the wall. He snuck up silently. He was thankful it was night. He slid down the other side of the wall. He stayed in the shadows, he wasn't taking any chances. He crawled along the ground toward the inner keep. He narrowly avoided the guards' torchlight. He finally got to the inner castle. Chin was surely in there somewhere. He crawled up the wall and into an open window. He realized to late he had just crawled into the guards' sleeping quarters. He stepped carefully around them to the door. He cracked it open and looked out. A guard was in the hallway, coming toward the door. Kai looked around, trying to find a way he could get out of this. Right before the guard opened the door, Kai jumped and stuck to the roof. The guard walked in and didn't even notice him. Kai slipped out the door before it closed. He tip-toed and peeked around the corner. Two guards were talking.

"I dunno. Chin doesn't really know what he's doing. Taking over the entire continent? It just seems, so… extreme."

"Hey, you gotta problem with the boss' problem, you take it up with him."

"Well, I just think it's weird how he just ups and decides to attack. I mean, talk about power, the guy rallied up this army in, like, 2 hours! It's like he's somehow possessed by a demon who wants him to do it."

Kai snuck around the corner and knocked them both out with Earth-Bending. He walked down the hall and into the next room. He felt the ground. He tried to feel vibrations. According to this, Chin's quarters were two rooms away. He walked into the first. It was the dining hall. No one in here except one servant who was cleaning up the table. Kai snuck in and tried to sneak to the next room, but he stepped on a creaky board, letting out a loud creaking noise and alerting the servant. The servant looked at the Blue Spirit in disbelief.

"B-bu-but, y-your th-the b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-" the Servant blubbered.

Kai jumped over and put a hand on his mouth. He put a finger to his lips. The universal sign for "SHHHHHHHutup". He took his hand off the Servant's mouth. The servant backed up and cleared his throat. He looked over at the door Kai was trying to get to.

"Don't got through there. Go through here," the servant said, walking over to one of the pillars holding up the room.

He pressed an almost invisible button on the pillar. The pillar rose up, revealing a small hole, with a ladder down it.

"If you go through that door, you'll get trapped. You can only go through that door from this side, and only Chin knows the way to get into his room from there. If you go down here, you'll pop up under Chin's bed," the servant explained.

Kai nodded to him. He dropped down the hole. He walked down two corridors and found a ladder leading upwards. He climbed up it. Sure enough, he was under Chin's bed. He could hear the Conqueror snoring. Kai stood up next to the bed, his Dual Swords drawn. He placed one on Chin's chest. He raised it up, ready to strike. Suddenly, a rock appeared and smacked into Kai. He stepped back in pain. Chin was suddenly up and ready to fight.

"So, Blue Spirit, we finally meet. You have come here to kill me, yes? Well, we'll just have a little duel and see who wins. Set down your blades and let's make this a fair fight, eh?" Chin smiled.

Kai didn't move.

"I said, let's make this fight FAIR!" Chin shouted, throwing a rock that knocked his Dual-Blades out the window.

Chin threw three rocks at him. Kai blocked all. He countered with some rocks of his own. They were tearing down Chin's room to kill each other. Kai eventually just jumped out the new hole in the wall and down to the outer wall. Chin followed hurriedly. The guards tried to intervene, but Chin refused their help, and even killed one of them. Chin picked up a big part of the wall and threw it at Kai. Kai ducked it and summoned up another rock, throwing it at Chin.

"Well, we now know one thing for sure; the Blue Spirit is an Earth-Bender!" Chin smiled.

Kai (of course) said nothing. He threw four more rocks at Chin. Chin summoned up a wall of rock to block them. When he lowered the wall, Kai's foot met with Chin's face. Chin staggered back, holding his nose. He threw one more rock at Kai, cursing him.

"You will pay for damaging the Great Chin!" Chin roared, picking up a gigantic rock.

All Kai could do was dive off the wall. The rock hit the wall with such force though, it made the wall crumble. Kai landed painfully on his foot, and he definitely heard something crack. The wall was falling around him. No one saw a rock crush the Blue Spirit, but no one could have survived that. The guards were ordered to retrieve the Blue Spirit's Mask as a trophy for Chin. They threw rock after rock away. But, to everyone's surprise, there was no mask, no swords, no clothing, and no body. The Blue Spirit wasn't there as if he never was there.


	4. Zang

Zang walked up the mountain. He was determined to do it he was going to kill Zang the Dragon Lord. Zang was a Fire Nation 21 year old who was trained in martial arts and in Dual-Blading. He wasn't a Fire-Bender, but he was a strong man anyway. When he was just 12, a dragon named Zang who claimed to be the most powerful dragon in the universe. They called him Zang the Dragon Lord. It was just a coincidence that their names were the same. And so far, he stayed true to his title. The Dragon Lord had killed some of the most powerful Dragon Hunters in the world. He threatened to destroy the village at the bottom of the mountain if they did not pay him 30 pounds of meat every day. Many had tried to stop the Dragon Lord, but no one could. It was impossible. But, Zang was confident he could do it. He had trained since he was 13 for this day. He would become an official Dragon Hunter. One who could defeat the Dragon Lord. He walked up to the cave entrance. The guards stopped him from going in.

"Woah! Just where do you think you're going?" the guard asked.

"I'm going to fight the Dragon Lord!" Zang exclaimed as if it were obvious.

"Pah! You think you got what it takes to defeat this guy? He eats Master Dragon Hunters for breakfast. What makes you think you're ready?" the guard scoffed.

"Do you want a demonstration?" Zang asked through gritted teeth.

"Careful, I could have you arrested for threatening a Fire Nation Guard," the guard replied.

Zang stormed off down the mountain. _What, just because I haven't killed a dragon yet means I can't_ _fight the strongest dragon?_ Zang thought. He was just as good as any master he had seen, why couldn't he go? Ever since Fire Lord Sozin introduced dragon hunting, dragons have been dropping dead almost every day since. It would be a miracle to find one. He walked down to his house. He sat on his bed and sighed.

"This is ridiculous. I can't fight a dragon just because I haven't fought one before," Zang said to himself.

He got up and went for a walk. He had no siblings. His parents are currently living in the Capital, and he has no relatives that aren't off fighting in the war. He had no real friends he could talk to. Just some guys he didn't even know the names of he drank with. He walked out of the town and into the countryside. He remembered tales of the brave-hearted hero who always slayed the evil beast in the end his parents had told him when he was a kid. Those tales just seemed that far away from reality now. All he needed was an actual identity. No one really knew who he was. Just the guy they drank with at the bar. Zang rubbed his eyes. He looked around. He realized his thoughts had carried him so far, he didn't even recognize what part of the woods he was in. He started walking back the way he came. On the way back, he noticed something strange. There was a hole in the ground. But it was far too big for any animal he knew of that hid in holes in the ground. He reached down the hole. He picked up a box inside he found a note with some stuff underneath it. He read the note first. The note read:

Dear Whoever is reading this,

You have found the Blue Spirit's Mask. It is your job to use this mask to stop crime around the Earth Kingdom. Though, it will be tough, I know you can do it. I know you've heard of the Blue Spirit, so don't try to just walk away. It's your duty to continue on the Blue Spirit's Legacy. In this hole in the ground, you will find all the equipment you will need to become the Blue Spirit. This includes:

Blue Spirit Mask  
>Dual-Swords<br>Black Clothing

If you think you're going to just walk away from this, you're wrong. If you decline this offer, someday a thug that _you_ could've stopped will come and rob or kill someone you love. And you'll blame yourself because you'll know it _was_ your fault for not stopping him earlier. Make the right choice.

-The Former Blue Spirit

Zang couldn't believe his luck. This could surely help him get into the Dragon Lord's Cave. He quickly put on each of the items. He was ready. He looked back to the cave. He wondered what the guards face would be like when he saw the Blue Spirit walk up to the cave. The face wasn't funny. The guard stopped him like last time.

"Woah! Just where do you think you're going?"

"I thought for someone with such an intelligent look and voice, you'd be smarter."

"Was that an insult?"

"Depends on how you decipher what I just said."

"Just who do you think you are?"

"I'm the Blue Spirit."

The guard laughed.

"The Blue Spirit, eh? Sorry, but he doesn't exist."

"Are you suggesting that the thing before your eyes is a hallucination?"

"Well no, I-"

"If so, you should see a doctor."

"But, I-"

"Seeing hallucinations is a trademark sign of dehydration."

"We-"

"Quick! Run down to the creek and drink a lot of water!" Zang ordered, pushing the guyard in the right direction.

"Oh! Okay!" the guard panicked, starting to run down the mountain.

He stopped before he reached ten feet away from the cave and turned around.

"Hey!" the guard called.

But, by that time, the Blue Spirit had walked into the Dragon Lord's cave and the guard was too scared to follow him. Zang walked into a giant cavern. He couldn't see a thing. He lit a torch. He stepped back in shock. There was a giant pile of bone in front of him. Behind the pile was a sleeping dragon. Zang backed toward the cave entrance.

He shouted, "Zang the Dragon Lord, arise!"

The Dragon Lord woke up and instinctively blew fire into the pile of bones in front of him. He sat up.

"Oi! 'Ou do ya think ya are, wakin' up dragons 'n such?" the Dragon Roared.

"I'm the Blue Spirit and I'm here to kill you," Zang replied.

Zang the Dragon Lord laughed.

"Nice one, mate! Try anotha one, eh?" the Dragon Lord asked.

"I'm not joking. You've terrorized this village for too long. Prepare to die."

The Dragon Lord rolled over laughing.

"'Ou got 'em all, mate! That's funny!"

"I'm _not joking_."

"Oh, rally? Well, I suppose I'll jus' kill ya. Pity. You wa' funny," the Dragon Lord sighed, getting ready to fight.

"Try your best," the Blue Spirit replied, drawing his Dual-Swords.

"Jus' outa curiousity, why didn'tcha kill me when I was asleep?" the Dragon Lord asked.

"I wanted this to be a fair fight."

"Figyas," the Dragon Lord shrugged, inhaling a large amount of air.

The Dragon Lord blew fire that covered all the floor in front of him. Zang had jumped and had grabbed hold of a rock on the side of the cave. The Dragon Lord looked up and breathed fire on the wall. Zang dropped off the wall and rolled, running toward the Dragon Lord.

"Oi! You're fast!" the Dragon Lord remarked, inhaling more air.

He breathed more fire down at Zang. Zang just ran around to the Dragon Lord's back. He jumped and grabbed for the Dragon Lord's back. The Dragon Lord just rose into the air with his powerful wings.

"Nice try, mate. But no," the Dragon Lord roared from the top of the cave.

The Dragon Lord clutched onto the wall of the cave. He blew fire down at Zang. Zang took cover behind a rock. The Dragon Lord landed on the ground. He blew more fire at the rock. Zang held his position. The Dragon Lord approached the rock Zang was behind, all the while blowing fire at it. Zang was trapped. Zang looked at his sword. He could see his reflection in it. He got an idea. He rose the blade above the rock. He looked in at it. At the reflection it showed. He got a relatively good idea where the Dragon Lord was. He tossed his word backwards into the air, straight at the Dragon Lord. The fire stopped, and Zang heard a furious roar. Zang peeked over the edge of the rock. The rock was picked up by the Dragon Lord. It was crushed in his jaws.

"'Ou make me so… angry!" the Dragon Lord roared.

There was a nasty cut on his snout. He inhaled. Zand looked around. He couldn't see a thing he could use to protect himself he got an idea. He threw the torch he had clutched in his hand into the Dragon Lord's throat just before he was about to breathe fire. The Dragon Lord's fire was ignited before he wanted it to be. It ran through his body. He howled a terrible cry and fell down, dead. Zang the Dragon Lord was no more. Zang retrieved his Dual-Blades and walked out of the cave. The guard stood shocked and just stared at him as he walked back to the village. After the Blue Spirit was out of sight, the guard came to his senses and ran back to the village with some great news.


	5. Lao

Lao sighed. He was bored today. He was bored every day. He was a spoiled rich Earth-Kingdom son of a noble. He was 16. Lao Bei Fong was his full name. He couldn't step foot out of his parent's estate, so he just walked around where he could walk around. It was becoming night. He looked at the setting sun. He sighed again. He wished he could just escape this place. But, he couldn't. He suddenly lost consciousness. When he woke up, the moon was in the middle of the night sky, and there were three different figures climbing over the wall. And one of them had an unusually large bag on his back. He ran inside quickly. His house was completely ransacked. His parents were knocked out, most of the guards were, too. And if they weren't knocked out they were dead. Everything valuable in his house was gone. He had been robbed. Two weeks later, they could no longer pay the taxes, and had to sell the house. Apparently, the taxes had increased because the Earth-Kingdom army needed more money to protect itself from Fire Lord Azulon-who was soon to die of old age-'s army. They didn't have a place to stay, and they weren't used to actual labor, so they were forced to become just street beggars. All that changed when the Blue Spirit visited town. The Blue Spirit had freed many villages from Fire Nation control, but Gaoling wasn't under Fire Nation control. So, no one knew why he was here. Lao walked around town, trying to find a job that would suit him. He found one. Serving tea at the Drowsy Rooster Inn. He applied for the job, and he might get it. There were two other people trying to get that job. Lao started to walk back home, when he felt it. He didn't know why, but Lao always seemed to know when someone was watching him. He turned around. There he was. The Blue Spirit.

"Hey, I don't have anything for you to steal, I'm broke," Lao said.

"I know you don't. I'm not here to steal from you. I'm here to help you get your fortune back, Lao Bei Fong," the spirit replied.

"Really? Well, I doubt you know how I could do it," Lao sighed turning back around and walking, his head down.

He bumped into something. He looked up. He took a step back in shock. The Blue Spirit was in front of him.

"I doubt that doubting will help in his situation. What do you have to lose, Bei Fong?" the Blue Spirit asked, his hand outstretched.

Lao looked down at the hand and back up at the spirit's face. He took the hand.

"Nothing," he replied.

"I know who took the money in the first place," the spirit said.

"You do? Who?" Lao asked hurriedly.

"A man named Zhang Do," the spirit explained.

"Zhang Do?" Lao asked.

"Yes, he is a Fire Nation Colonel who is now sitting pretty because of your fortune," the spirit said.

"Where is he?" Lao asked.

"He is the leader of the Southern Raiders. He became the leader about four years ago. I have transportation," the Blue Spirit explained.

"What?" Lao asked.

"A Fire Navy ship," the Blue Spirit explained.

They boarded the ship and headed out, looking for the Southern Raiders. After two weeks, they found the ship. The Southern Raiders. They sent up the flag for being captured, the Southern Raiders saw it and headed for the ship. The Blue Spirit and Lao hid from plain view behind a pile of boxes. The Southern Raiders and the Captain came aboard. They quickly snuck aboard the Southern Raider ship. They ran to the Captain's room and broke down the door. Inside, they found three treasure chests, seven bags, and one small box, all full of the Bei Fong treasure. Lao could hook the box onto his belt. The Blue Spirit could carry four bags, and Lao could carry three. They all put this stuff into larger boxes. One chest, that had to be carried by both of them, could fit in the cargo box the rest of the treasure was in. The other two had to be put in their own box. The box made it much easier to push around, but it was easier to detect.

"Quickly! I think they're coming!" the Blue Spirit whispered.

Each one of them took a box and started to push it. The Blue Spirit was farther ahead than Lao. The Blue Spirit turned a corner. Lao heard scuffling. They had got him. Lao abandoned the box for a moment and looked around the corner. The Captain had got him. Colonel Zhang Do.

"The Blue Spirit. Trying to make off with my treasure?" Zhang Do smirked.

The Blue Spirit didn't answer.

"The ship was empty, a nice distraction, but half-way through, we saw you in my quarters. We came back quickly, but naturally, so you didn't get any ideas of jumping overboard," Zhang Do explained.

The Blue Spirit still didn't answer.

Zhang Do hmphed and stabbed the Blue Spirit. He fell onto the ground. Zhang pointed to three of his men.

"Ling, Dong, take his body and dump it in the water. Lee, take his mask and Dual-Blades, I want them as a trophy for killing the Blue Spirit," Zhang Do ordered.

Zhang and his crew returned to inside the ship while Lee took his mask and armor and walked after them. Ling and Dong picked up the Blue Spirit and walked over to the side of the ship. Lao reached inside the box and picked out a gold goblet. He snuck over to the two. He knocked them both unconscious. He looked down at the Blue Spirit. _If only you were a spirit that couldn't die_, Lao thought. He then got an idea. A brilliant idea. He quickly put on the black clothing the Blue Spirit had on. He put the Blue Spirit's body in the box with the rest of the treasure. He quickly took some blood from the Blue Spirit's body and made a replica of the wound on his own body. He walked back over to the two unconscious guards he put on Dong's armor over the black clothing and dumped the body into the ocean. He ran quickly into the ship. He saw that the only person left in the ship's hallway was Lee.

"Lee! Come quickly! It's the Blue Spirit! He's alive!" Lao said in a perfect imitation of Dong's voice.

Lee ran out with him. He knocked Lee unconscious when his back was turned. He shed his Fire Navy armor and put on the Blue Spirit's mask. He equipped the Dual-Blades. He was the new Blue Spirit. He suddenly had a spiritual connection to Blue Spirit's past. Or more specifically, their abilities. He was suddenly a master of Kung Fu, and Dual-Blading. He was a master of sneak and agility. He was the perfect copy of Koa the Blue Spirit. He snuck into the ship and had a relatively easy time getting to the Captain's Quarters considering everyone was sleeping at the time. Everyone except Zhang Do. Lao walked into his quarters. Zhang Do had his chair facing the window, away from Lao. Zhang Do heard him come in.

"You've finally got up here with those mask and swords, eh?" Zhang Do observed, not turning around.

"Something like that," Lao spoke.

Zhang Do didn't move for several moments. He spun around slowly. His eyes widened when he saw him.

"No… but, you're dead," he murmured.

"I'm a spirit. I bleed and feel pain, but do not die," Lao replied.

Zhang Do got out of his chair and backed up to the window.

"P-please! Don't kill me!" Zhang Do cowered.

Lao walked up to him and put his swords to his neck.

"You will tell all of your men to report to the deck immediately, or I'll have to clean these blades tomorrow," Lao threatened.

Zhang Do quickly picked up the intercom and relayed the message.

"Now, you will join them. When you get down there, you will tell them about my resurrection. Then, you and all the other Southern Raiders will abandon ship. Understand?" Lao explained.

"Y-yes s-sir," Zhang Do replied.

Lao followed Zhang Do all the way down to the deck, his swords at Zhang Do's back. Zhang Do told the crew to abandon ship, and he did the same. Now, Lao was on the Southern Raiders Ship, with the body of the former Blue Spirit, and the Bei Fong Fortune. He set sail for Gaoling.


	6. Zuko

Zuko felt the tears well up in his eyes. He got to his hands and knees.

"Please, father. I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!" Prince Zuko begged.

Fire Lord Ozai kept his approach.

"You will fight for your honor," Ozai stated.

"I meant you know disrespect! I am your loyal son!" Zuko cried.

"You will learn disrespect, and suffering will be your teacher," Ozai spoke, raising a fist.

Zuko looked up at him. The Fire Lord shot a flame straight at Zuko.

Zuko sat up. He looked around. He was on his Fire Navy ship. It was all a bad dream. A bad dream that had come back to haunt him. He felt around his eye. The burn mark was still there. He sighed. It had been three years since he got this burn mark from his father. He would never forget that day in the Dueling Room. He wished he had never protested against General Buijing's plan. He should have let the 41st Legion die. He would still be back at the royal palace, he wouldn't be banished from the Fire Nation, and he _definitely_ wouldn't be hunting the Avatar down. They were about to leave for the Southern Water Tribe in search for him after they had a small pit stop at a Fire Nation Dock in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko got out of bed and quickly put on his under-tunic. He looked at his mirror and tied his hair into a ponytail like all Royal Family Members of the Fire Nation should. He applied his over-armor. He rolled his shoulders. He was ready for the last day at dock. He walked out of his quarters and into the dining room, where his retired Uncle was already at.

"Tea, Prince Zuko?" the old General offered.

"I don't have time for your tea, Uncle Iroh. If you haven't noticed, this is the last day at dock we have until we set sail for the Southern Water Tribe. I have to make sure all my soldiers are on the ship, I have to make sure we have all the food we need for the trip, and I have to make sure we do all this before we set sail at approximately 5 hours after noon," Zuko snapped, grabbing a small piece of bread and walking to the upper deck.

"A simple no would suffice," Iroh replied, taking a sip of tea.

Zuko scarfed down the bread quickly. He walked quickly to the deck. All his soldiers were aligned on the deck. Zuko walked to the first one.

"Are all the soldiers on the ship?" Zuko asked.

"Yes sir," the soldier replied.

"Do we have enough food?"

"Yes sir."

"Then, why are we still in the dock?" Zuko gritted.

"Uh, I-I'm not sure. You'd have to ask the helmsman," the soldier replied nervously.

Zuko growled. He climbed the ladder leading up to the steering wheel. The helmsman was playing Pai Sho with his Uncle. He grabbed the helmsman.

"Why aren't we setting sail?" Zuko asked angrily.

"W-we haven't repaired the hull damage we took when you ordered us to sail through those rocks to get to the port faster. It should be repaired by tomorrow," the helmsman replied.

Zuko threw him to the ground and stormed out of the room. Iroh helped him up.

"I'm sorry for my nephew's behavior recently. He's been under more and more stress everyday he's been banished. He really needs to try to calm down, I know, but he still coping with the idea of him never being able to see his Father again," Iroh explained.

"No problem, really. I've grown used to his behavior, lately," the helmsman shrugged.

"Thank you for being so understanding," Iroh replied.

Zuko slid down the ladder. He pointed to two of his soldiers.

"You two, come with me to the market. We might as well buy extra supplies," Zuko sighed.

The two followed him to the marketplace.

"Spread out. You, go buy fruit. You, go buy meat. I'll go buy tea for my Uncle," Zuko explained.

"Yes sir," the two soldiers replied in unison.

Zuko went to Iroh's favorite shop to buy tea from. He bought a couple packets and put them in a basket. He started to walk back to the ship when he saw him out of the corner of his eye. Someone was watching him. Following him. He deliberately walked down an alleyway. Whoever it was followed him in and approached him with haste. He was almost to him. Zuko dropped the basket and spun around, shooting flame all the way. The man jumped back. After the flame died down, Zuko saw his face… or his mask. The Blue Spirit. Zuko stared at him.

"Well, the Blue Spirit. Didn't see that one coming," Zuko smiled.

It had been a while since he did that. The Blue Spirit didn't reply.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked.

The spirit still didn't reply.

"Why don't you answer me?" Zuko shouted.

Not a word.

"Fine, I'll just kill you first," Zuko growled, kicking a flame at the Blue Spirit.

The spirit ducked it and leaped, taking Zuko's legs out from underneath him. Zuko fell, landing on his back. The Blue Spirit crossed his blades on Zuko's neck. Zuko growled.

"I suppose you want some sort of ransom for me back at the Fire Nation? You won't get any. Especially with Azula around," Zuko gritted.

The Blue Spirit stared down at him intently. There was a noise from farther down the alleyway. Both Zuko and the Blue Spirit looked down the alleyway. One fairly muscular Earth-Bender and a gigantic fat Earth-Bender walked down the alley.

"Look, Hippo, two legends. The Banished Prince, and the Blue Spirit. The Boulder is pleasantly surprised to see them," the muscular one almost narrated.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked.

"We are two participants in Earth Rumble 5. We seem to have taken a wrong turn to get there. But, once The Boulder and The Hippo have captured both of you, we can have a handsome ransom from the Fire Nation," the Boulder grinned.

"Hippo agree!" the Hippo shouted, stomping on the ground, summoning a gigantic rock.

It took both the Earth-Benders to throw it. The Blue Spirit quickly grabbed Zuko and threw him out of the way. The Blue Spirit jumped back as the rock hit the ground, breaking into smaller, yet still large, pieces of rock. The Boulder dragged them all to him and started launching them at the spirit and Zuko one by one. The spirit dodged most, and Zuko just took cover behind a barrel. After the rocks were all thrown, Zuko charged with a large amount of fire in his hands. He used all his strength to blast the flame as far as he could toward them. The Boulder just summoned up a wall of rock. Zuko kept his barrage of flame. The Hippo jumped over the wall, landing behind Zuko. He punched him toward the Boulder. All the air let Zuko's lungs. The Blue Spirit ran and hit the Hippo in the back of the head with all his might. The Hippo was knocked unconscious and he fell with a great impact. The Blue SPirit charged at The Boulder. But, The Boulder had already tied up Zuko and was running off. The Blue Spirit ran with great agility in chase. The Boulder turned the corner. The Blue Spirit turned. He met a faceful of rock. The Blue Spirit dodged it barely. He continued running after The Boulder, who was making his way to a fishing boat. The Blue Spirit launched himself atop a merchant's booth and ran along them, quickly catching up to the Boulder. The Boulder jumped a far distance, landing on a boat already out of dock. There was a scuffle on the boat. A fisherman was thrown off. The Blue Spirit quickly hijacked a canoe that was at dock. He started to paddle furiously after the boat. Luckily, the Boulder's boat relied on wind, which there was none at this time. The Blue Spirit caught up and jumped aboard.

"You don't give up, do you?" the Boulder snarled.

He looked over at the Prince, who was unconscious. He looked back to the Boulder, who was in his Earth-Bending position. The Blue Spirit laughed.

"What do you think you're doing?" the Blue Spirit smirked.

"What does it look like?" the Boulder squinted.

"It looks like you're getting ready to Earth-Bend," the Blue Spirit replied.

"Exactly," the Boulder grinned.

The Blue Spirit laughed even more.

"What are you laughing at?" the Boulder shouted angrily.

"Earth-Bend? Just what are you going _to_ Earth-Bend?" the Blue Spirit asked slyly.

"The _Earth_!" the Boulder shouted.

The Blue Spirit looked down at the wooden boat.

"Oh…" the Boulder spoke.

"Yeah," the Blue Spirit replied, knocking the Boulder out with a kick.

He walked over to Zuko. He cut the ropes on him. He turned the ship around to dock. Zuko woke up.

"W-what happened?" Zuko asked, standing up.

The Blue Spirit looked over at him.

"You did well. I've been looking for someone with your skill for some time, now," the Blue Spirit spoke.

"So, you're finally talking," Zuko noted.

"Zuko, what would you say if I told you I'm not the Blue Spirit?" Lao said, taking off the mask.

Lao explained the Blue Spirit's Legacy, and how Zuko was the new Blue Spirit. He even explained how to use the Dual-Blades. Lao handed over the mask.

"So, what will you do now?" Zuko asked.

"Go back to my wife and child. I have a lot of catching up to do," Lao smirked, hopping in the canoe and paddling off.

Zuko looked down at the mask. He smirked. Espionage. He liked this idea. He grabbed all his stuff and dove into the ocean, he didn't want to be there when the guards arrested the Boulder for stealing a boat. Zuko swam back to the marketplace, all the Blue Spirit equipment in a bag. He saw the two soldiers at the dock. He walked up to them.

"What are you still doing out here?" Zuko growled.

"We, uh, were waiting for you," the soldier stuttered.

"Fine, now let's get to the boat before I decide to leave you two behind," Zuko snarled.

He walked into his room and dropped off his equipment.

"Prince Zuko! Prince Zuko!" Iroh shouted, running into the room.

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"Zuko, I just realized we have made a terrible mistake!" Iroh panicked.

"What mistake?" Zuko asked angrily.

"We're out of tea!" Iroh exclaimed.

Zuko had to smile.


	7. The Legend Dies

Zuko stared at the mask. He had used it for so many covert reasons. He couldn't just throw it away, could he?

"Leave it behind," Iroh said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

But he couldn't. He couldn't leave it behind. All this time he had used it, it never once failed him. He closed his eyes. All those things he did. They weren't done by him. They were done by the Blue Spirit. Everyone who wore this mask changed when they wore it. They became a new person. Zuko opened his eyes and looked at it anew. He saw why it was better for everyone if he did get rid of it. Zuko sighed. He threw the mask into the water and watched it sink to the bottom. The Blue Spirit had just died.


End file.
